


She Lives in a Yellow Submarine

by 3rdgymbros



Series: she could rattle the stars (and do anything, if only she dared) [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Fluff, big brother trafalgar law
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2018-09-11 10:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8975491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3rdgymbros/pseuds/3rdgymbros
Summary: A series of one-shots about Trafalgar Lami's life as a Heart Pirate.





	1. Wherein Lami Arrives At Sabaody

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is basically a bunch of one-shots detailing how Lami would have been like as a Heart Pirate. If she'd lived, of course. (In case you can't tell, as a girl with a remarkably Law-like older brother, Lami quickly became my favorite girl, and she deserved better. Just saying.) Some of the chapters are inspired by my stint of playing Lami on tumblr, so some OCs might appear in the future. If anyone has any ideas about a story chapter they'd like me to write, just leave a comment! Comments and kudos are appreciated!

> _We all live in a yellow submarine_   
>  _Yellow submarine, yellow submarine_
> 
> ( Yellow Submarine, The Beatles )

 

"Captain, we've arrived at –"

" _Lemme out!"_ Lami screeches, practically shoving an alarmed Penguin aside in her haste to scramble for the door, and off the submarine. "Outoutout!"

One more minute of sitting in the Polar Tang and she's going to lose her mind. They've been going, _going_ for three days straight, stopping for only an hour at best to allow Bepo some fresh air. There's only so much entertainment a submarine can provide – she's read all the books in her room at least three times, arranged her collection of photographs, cleaned and sharpened her knives – and Lami's itching to stretch her legs.

Unflappable as always, Law kicks the door closed before she can escape. He grabs her arm. "Lami. Stop. This is important."

"Gotta go," Lami accelerates, but his fingers dig into her flesh. Her brother's inconsistency hurts her head. Lami doesn't know when he'll shift from 'Big Brother Mode' to 'Captain Mode', but the authority in his voice tells her that it's a bit of both this time. "I want _out_!"

"In a minute, I promise. We need to set some ground rules."

" _Ground rules?"_

Law pulls a sour face. "We're at Sabaody now. That means there are Celestial Dragons and Marines here, so you're going to have keep your head down. Don't attract any unnecessary attention."

"I know, I _know_ , we don't want an Admiral to show up and yada _yada_ –"

He cuts her off. " _Second_ , no bringing weird blond boys back to the submarine."

"Are you still going on about that? It only happened _once_!" Lami protests, cheeks flushing hotly at the memory. "And he was _injured_ , his _friends_ were injured, and it's not like he asked me to join the –"

"Lastly," Law says, continuing as though he's never heard her. "No wandering around on your own. You either go with Bepo and the others or not at all."

"Okay, fine, I'll stick to you like glue." Lami jiggles from foot to foot, too impatient and anxious to stand still. "Can we please _go_ now?"

Half the crew stay on the Polar Tang, while the other half leave the submarine to resupply. They walk into the busy port of the Sabaody Archipelago. People stand straighter as they pass, moving out of their way when they see the insignia of the Heart Pirates. Lami might not have the grinning Jolly Roger plastered to the front of her sundress, but she's guilty by association all the same.

"What do you want to do first?" Law asks, and his tone is warm and his smile is soft. It's the _big brother Law_ , not the _captain Law_. "You've been talking about this place for days, I'm sure you've got something in mind."

They might be here to get more information about the pink flamingo, but that doesn't mean that they can't have a little bit of fun, right?

Lami beams up at him in response, her face practically glowing against her halo of pale blonde hair. "There's this really cool amusement park, with loads of rides and roller coasters that go _zoom_ and _whoosh_ , and there's this place that sells the best tuna and egg sandwiches –"

She slides a glance over at her brother and erupts into laughter at the look of pure, unadulterated disgust on his face. The mere mention of anything bread related is enough to send him into a dark mood, and she can't help but tease him about his _allergy_.

"No to the sandwich shop, but yes to the amusement park." Law says firmly, and links their fingers together.

His hand is warm.


	2. Wherein Lami Visits The Amusement Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lami and the Heart Pirates visit the Amusement Park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ahahahaha, guess who's back after a thousand year hiatus? IT ME. Anyway, comments give me life, so if you want to see the next chapter sooner (rather than later), please comment! Thank you guys for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

> _We got magic, good and bad_   
>  _Make you happy or make you real sad_   
>  _Get everything you want, lose what you had_
> 
> ( Down in New Orleans, The Princess and the Frog )

 

The Sabaody Amusement Park is a wide parcel of land overlooking acres of dormant grass. Nestled in between giant tree roots, it's located at the very edge of the island, lit up (in broad daylight, no less) with what seems like every spotlight in the world. Clusters of bubbles blur the edges and soften the riotous activity. The temperature hovers just above freezing, but with the sun, it seems as if spring is truly on its way to the Archipelago.

The party is in full swing by the time their motely little group enters passes through the wrought iron gates. Lami's never seen so many people gathered together, except in – No. Pause. Rewind. It's been years, and she can't think about it without her eyes burning. So she shoves that errant thought to the very back of her mind, locking it up to deal with later.

Housewives usher children off rides, fathers and sons dip into food stalls, and young couples walk with their fingers intertwined. The picnic area is full of booths of people selling carnival food – popcorn, cotton candy, cheese fries. Stall vendors dole out candy apples or invite people to win prizes at their game booths for the low, low price of five berri a throw. Everything is bright and cheery.

"What do you want to do first?" Lami asks, taking a bite out of the caramel-and-peanut covered apple that Bepo had bought for her. She licks her sticky lips. "I wanna ride the roller coaster!"

Law scans the thick crowd several times before answering. "Yeah, sure. You go ahead with Bepo and the others. I'll stay here."

" _Hey!"_ Aghast, Lami watches as Law plonks himself comfortably down onto a bench made of bubbles, propping Kioku up beside him. "You can't just _sit_ here!"

Law gives her a pointed look. "Why do you ask if you don't want to hear my answer?" He questions, smiling faintly despite himself. "For your information, _little sister_ , I never said that I would actually go on the rides with you. You just assumed that I would."

"You have to!" Lami insists.

"Captain doesn't want to," Law says, taking care to place special emphasis on the word ' _Captain_ '.

"It's your duty as a big brother to go with me," She says firmly, her voice holding an authority that belies her tiny frame and wide-set eyes. "Come on! You said we could go to the amusement park, and that includes going on rides! What if I get scared and need to hold someone's hand?"

"Then hold Bepo's hand!"

"He doesn't have hands, he has paws!"

He's caving. She can feel it, can feel Law's inner turmoil gnawing at his insides. Lami has to fight off her smile. Just a little more pressure . . . Lami pulls out her big guns – a pair of the largest, teariest, puppy dog eyes to ever exist.

He cracks.

 _"Fine!"_ Without a backward glance, Law strides off towards the roller-coaster, his nodachi resting on his shoulder. Bepo hurries after him, and Lami hears the delighted shrieks of children who catch sight of the fuzzy white polar bear, apparently undeterred by the grump next to Bepo.

Lami allows herself a triumphant grin around the last bite of her candy apple. She raises her eyebrows at Penguin and Shachi, who grumble, but press wads of Berri into her outstretched hand. They'd doubted her ability to wheedle Law onto a ride, but Lami had proven that the feared _Surgeon of Death_ was not above his sister's pleas.

" _Whipped_ ," Shachi mouths, particularly bold now that Law is unable to see him; powerful the Ope-Ope no Mi might be, it does not grant the user an exceptional sense of sight, or of hearing, for that matter. "Captain's totally wrapped around your little finger."

"It's terrifying," Penguin admits in a low whisper, falling into step with them. "But Captain's soft side is totally cute, too!"

"What's disturbing is hearing you _gush_ about my _brother_ ," Lami says darkly, shaking her head with a note of exasperation in her voice. Whatever doubts she may have had in the beginning, what with Penguin being in charge of a gang, had all disappeared the moment Penguin had set eyes on his new captain. "Your little crush on him is getting out of hand."

"It is _not_ a crush –"

Shachi speaks up tiredly. "Penguin, what did we say about keeping your gushing over Captain limited to Man-Crush Mondays?"

And just like that, Penguin storms off to join Law and Bepo, muttering all the while about "not having any real friends on the crew", and how "everyone was bullying him all the time".

Lami, very pointedly, does not look at Shachi, fearing that she'll burst out laughing.

Penguin still flips them off behind his back.

* * *

As it turns out, eating a candy apple before sitting on a roller coaster is the best way to bring up one's breakfast.

Lami manages to race through the door into the public toilets before she vomits breakfast into the bowl in a violent and noisy gush. She retches again and again. Her hands are shaking, her eyes watering and dimmed.

Lami hears the door opening. She doesn't have it in her to protest, let alone move her face away from the toilet.

"I _told_ you this was a bad idea."

Law's voice, though gentle and free of admonishment, makes her heave again. Over the noises she's making, she hears the door open further and booted feet come in.

"Mmph," Lami says, and realizes she hasn't shut the cubicle door. She tries to do it with her foot, without moving her head or upper body, but she can't find it.

"Breathe, Lami."

A large, too-warm hand is placed on her forehead, right before Lami feels fingers brushing the back of her neck as her hair is pulled away from her face. She tries to thank him, but has to retch again. There's nothing left of her breakfast and mid-morning snack, but her stomach doesn't seem to care. A hand, tanned and wholly familiar, appears next to her head, holding a wad of toilet paper. She accepts it gratefully with a vague-sounding noise in the back of her throat, wiping her mouth.

"Better?"

The sickness is abating a bit, enough that she can nod, can flush the toilet to sit on the floor, can lean heavily against the wall. His hand appears, holding a bottle of water. She shakes her head.

"Lami, you need fluids."

She's tempted to tell him to stick a needle in her arm, but figures that won't go over well, not with how _ill_ she looks. "'M fine now," Her throat is raw. "Really."

" _Lami."_

"Okay, okay." She takes it, his hand retreats, and the door swings shut.

She can see his well-worn boots and the bottoms of his jeans beyond the door, but the rest of him is out of sight. Lami takes a long swig of water and pulls herself together enough to stand up. She still feels nauseated, but she doesn't think she'll throw up anytime soon. Rubbing her face hard with her hands, Lami comes out.

"I'm fine," She says automatically, making for the sink to rinse her mouth out. "I'm not going to throw up again."

"You should head back to the Polar Tang, get some rest." He looks at her, as though waiting for her to argue, and Lami frowns in responses. "I could go to the Auction myself."

"Yeah, _no_ ," Lami snorts derisively. "We came here to _do a job_ , you can't just drop me off on the sub like that. What am I, chopped liver?"

Silence. And it's not from her Devil Fruit, although she's seriously tempted to put up a wall of Calm so that she doesn't have to listen to Law ramble on.

"I'll meet you at the entrance of the park." Law doesn't immediately leave, so she prods him in the back to get him moving, letting a pleading note seep into her voice. "Let me freshen up a bit, and then we'll talk, okay? No Dragons or Marines here!"

_Just normal, happy families that could have been them, with their mother and father, if her home hadn't been -_

"Five minutes, Lami." With an abruptness that she thinks of as typical, he heads out and she's left alone, staring at the space where he'd been.

She stands there for a minute or two, a hand on her stomach, and then she chances a glance in the mirror. She's a distinct shade of green, and her hair hangs limply against her shoulders. A few cold splashes of water to the face later, and sweeping her hair up into a high ponytail renders her slightly more presentable. Nausea throbs dully in her stomach, but there's nothing she can do about that.

She rummages through her purse and comes up with a packet of mints, along with food coupons for the Amusement Park. She doesn't have it in her to stomach any greasy food, so she crunches two mints at once and goes to find Law.

She passes another motley group, still lingering at the roller coasters – a suited skeleton, a little reindeer, a starfish, a green-haired girl with a pixie cut, a spiky haired man, and a youthful looking boy with a straw-hat looped around his neck. Lami slows down as she passes, a few faces grabbing hold of her attention. She doesn't recognise the girl, or the Starfish, or the man, but the rest she does.

Monkey D. Luffy and his crew.

Well, not all of them. Just their pet and musician, but Lami assumes the rest can't be far off. She scans the crowd, but try as she might, she is unable to see the cyborg, or the cook, or the swordsman. Her gaze rests on Monkey D Luffy, drinking in the messy black hair that sticks up in spikes, the warmth of his mocha-coloured eyes.

Another member of her family, here before her eyes.

"I'm hungry!" Strawhat's complaining, loud enough to be heard over the laughter of the crowd, a hand on his grumbling belly. "I wish Sanji were here to cook me something!"

"Here," Lami says on impulse, stepping forwards and passing him the wad of coupons from the depths of her bag. "You can have these, I don't need them."

"Really?" His eyes light up as though she's given him the world instead of simple _food coupons_ , and Lami can feel his warm joy coursing through her, almost as though she's swallowed liquid sunshine. "Thanks a lot!"

His friends are quick to chime in with thanks, and Lami waves them off with a smile, feeling marginally better than she had before. Strawhat's joy is contagious, his blindingly bright smile familiar and warm. She almost stumbles back with the force of it.

The resemblance between Strawhat and her benefactor is almost uncanny.

Lami closes her eyes. She has a blinding headache.


	3. Wherein Lami Witnesses a Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “First the Surgeon of Death. Now a Supernova? Not cool.” Lami complains mildly, thinking of her Wanted Poster, embellished with a picture of her – huge dark eyes of smoke and shadow, hair whipping around her face like a tornado of spun gold, a bright smile etched on her face – and stamped with a bounty of seventy-seven million Beri. “Why is it that you get cooler epithets than me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so have a very, very late update. Please know that I have been reading and rereading all your comments, and they really do make me happy, and encourage me to write more, so thank you to everyone who's commented so far! Kudos and comments are appreciated!!

_Treat yo self,_ as Penguin is so fond of saying ( though Lami suspects it’s so he can spend more of the Beri that they have stored on the Polar Tang ), and so they all end up heading to a fancy restaurant for lunch where all the waiters are good-looking and smile at her when she walks through the doors with her friends.

Law _glowers_.

Miracle of miracles, Penguin and Shachi manage to rope Law into ordering a bottle of wine, and it must taste good, because they end up ordering a second round even before the appetizers come. Lami tries – the key word being _tries_ – to wheedle Law into giving her a sip, but he had flatly refused. ( _“Ask me again in another ten years, Lami.”_ ) Shachi has the lowest alcohol tolerance she knows, and ends up getting drunk right away, and Lami and Penguin both start laughing hysterically when Shachi tries to flirt with the waiters. Bepo wistfully wishes for a female bear waiter, to which Penguin practically screams _there are no bears on Sabaody, Bepo, are you crazy?_ And Lami has to hold onto her sides, she’s laughing so hard. Lami even thinks she sees a curl to the edge of Law’s lips even as he buries himself in the menu. The five of them have been friends for ages, and even though Lami loves everyone in the Heart Pirates, she’ll always have a soft spot for Penguin, Bepo and Shachi. They _are_ the original Heart Pirates, after all.

They must order half the menu: tiny, melt-in-your-mouth kaya balls, a huge batch of crabs smothered in a chili and tomato sauce, stir-fried noodles with eggs and prawns and squids that probably has more calories than she’s supposed to eat in a day, a salad of mixed vegetables and fruit in a peanut dressing and grilled fish cakes and a whole sea bass with its head still attached, mango pudding, and black glutinous rice porridge.

“Done treating yourself, Penguin?” Law ribs good-naturedly as they leave the restaurant.

They’re wandering into a bad part of the archipelago, and but it’s alright, because Law’s with them, and he’d never let anything happen to his crew. She pads after him, feeling as numerous pairs of eyes bore into the back of her head and probably other places as well – like she’s a choice piece of meat that’s fresh off the brazier.

 _“Treat yo self,”_ Lami and Penguin sing in unison at the same time, and she is rewarded with a smile.

Slightly more alert now due to the combination of food in his belly and the cold air nipping at his face, Shachi pipes up, “We still haven’t seen any of those Supernovas you warned us to be on the look-out for, Captain.”

“Supernovas?”

“Yeah, you know, those ten other pirates with bounties higher than one hundred million Beri. Captain’s one of them, but there are several others.” And then Penguin launches into a tirade of names and bounties so quickly that Lami can’t possibly keep up, but she nods and smiles anyway, because that’s what he’s expecting.

“First the Surgeon of Death. Now a Supernova? Not cool.” Lami complains mildly, thinking of her Wanted Poster, embellished with a picture of her – huge dark eyes of smoke and shadow, hair whipping around her face like a tornado of spun gold, a bright smile etched on her face – and stamped with a bounty of seventy-seven million Beri. “Why is it that you get cooler epithets than me?”

Law smirks. _The_ smirk that has everyone in a six foot radius swooning and gasping. “Jealous? _Submarine stealer?_ ”

As one, Penguin and Shachi start chanting, “Submarine stealer, submarine stealer.”

 _“Shut up,”_ Lami exclaims, “I stole a submarine just that one time, _one time_! They’ll change it soon!”

“It’s been six years, Lami,” Law says, snickering, but Lami lets him have this; he hasn’t laughed in what seems _forever_ , and she smiles in response, her heart _soaring_. “I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.”

A sudden explosion moves the ground beneath Lami, the blast ricocheting through her head. One moment the earth spurts high about her, and the next, a nearby building explodes and crumbles to pieces. Screaming, loud and shrill, follows the explosions. The sky is thick with a dark cloud of smoke and dust. The people in the vicinity scatter for safety, disturbed by the blast.

A fear – not that of her own – coats her mind like a sticky spider’s web, gathering in the pit of her stomach. This isn’t the first time that she’s felt the emotions of others, but it doesn’t make it any less overwhelming. And if she concentrates enough, she can see two silhouettes, white shapes in a sea of black and grey. Oh. _Oh._ She can feel them, drawing closer, _nearer_ –

“Call me crazy, but am I the only one who thinks that we should move? There’s a –”

“Oh, I _know_.” Law says, and plonks himself down onto a bench with a thud, far too relaxed for someone who could quite possibly be crushed by a shower of debris in the next few minutes. “What do you think, Lami? Is this far enough?”

Lami _blinks_. She can’t see them being crushed by debris or slaughtered by swords in the next couple of seconds, and says as much. “Huh? I mean, we’re safe here for the time being, but –” A sneaking suspicion niggles at Lami. “You _planned_ this. You _knew_ the other Supernovas would be in the bad part of town, you wanted to scope out the competition, so you brought us here.”  
  
“Not entirely true,” Law says smoothly. “I knew they were somewhere on the Archipelago, but I didn’t know that the Mad Monk and the Massacre Soldier Killer would be fighting here at this particular moment.”

“Three now. One’s coming up fast.” Lami corrects him, then moans. “We’re going to _die_.”

“Don’t be dramatic, Lami. We’ll be _fine_ , trust me.” Ruffling her hair with rough and calloused hands, Law smiles at her, filled with a confidence Lami wishes she could feel. “When have I ever been wrong?”

She looks at him, deadpan. “I keep a list. It’s alphabetized.”

“This is how you talk to your Captain?” Law shakes his head in mock-disappointment. “You know, you’re killing me. You’re killing your Captain.”

“Live a little, Lami. We’re cool – hey, _check it out, they’re coming closer!_ ” Shachi points over Lami’s shoulder.

Urouge is attacking Killer with perfect form, his right arm elegantly parting the air as he swings his weapon. The smile on his face never wavers, not even when Killer evades every stroke, spinning on his toes or swinging his scythes to block the attacks aimed at him. Every now and then, Killer jumps and twists in midair, folding and unfolding his limbs like the petals of a flower.

She _feels_ the person approaching, far before she can see him – and then, a shadow sprints closer to the two combatants, there’s the clang of metal on metal, and Urouge and Killer stagger apart.

The unfamiliar presence has an instant effect. The Supernovas stop to stare at the lean, muscular frame, and Drake takes advantage of the lull to put his case to them. “If you wanna go wild, save it for the New World!”

“I can wait.” Urouge says, before turning a smiling face to Drake. “Aren’t you the fallen navy officer Drake? You should get down on your knees and thank Drake for your life, Masked Man.”

She can feel Killer’s annoyance, the urge to lash out bubbling just below the surface. But the thought of keeping a low profile is more important, and so he lets the insult slide.

His objective accomplished, Drake sheathes his weapons and strides away, his eager crew members swarming up to him and joining his burgeoning group.

“ _Damn_. And it was just starting to get good.” Law smiles dimly, and that’s his entire reaction to watching the fight play out. “Hey, Drake, I’m curious. How many people have you killed?”

Drake stops in his tracks, turns a cool and assessing gaze onto her brother. There’s nothing malicious in his gaze, just a mild hint of curiosity, followed by recognition that vanishes as quickly as she feels it.

Then his eyes come to rest on her, staring directly into her face as he continues on his way. Lami fidgets, uncomfortable with the intensity of his eyes, as if he can peel back muscle and bone and see straight into her soul. They were both on Minion Island on that day, she knows that now; and maybe, if things had been different, she and Law would have been saved by the Marines. Maybe they wouldn’t have become pirates.

His irises are the bright blue of the ocean.


	4. Wherein Lami Visits a Human Auction House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A name floats into her mind, unbidden. His voice is in her head, their conversation together replaying on an endless loop. His stance against the World Government, the position of the Revolutionary Army and the herculean mission that they’ve undertaken – the need for change made all the more obvious by the corrupt practices that the World Government turns a blind eye to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whoa, a fast update! Hopefully I'll be able to update more ( I'm really hyped about the upcoming Reverie Arc so that might be why ), because things are really heating up in this story! As always, reviews would really, REALLY make my day! Review and give me kudos ( and validation ), and I'll love you forever!

Loathe to witness more fights, Lami insists that the Heart Pirates follow her directions precisely – avoiding all the powerful presences that she can sense within a five-foot radius. Soon, the Auction House looms before her. The arching windows and white columns give it a stately if neglected appearance. Up close, the paint is yellowed and chipped; far away it is harder to tell. They have exactly fifteen minutes until the auction starts, and Law lingers, pulls her back and tells Penguin, Shachi and Bepo to go ahead and save them seats.

“Still time to change your mind.” He says, resting his hand lightly upon her head of fine blonde hair.

“I’m fine.” Lami responds automatically, even though she’s feeling anxious – half dread and half nervousness – like when you hear thunder and you know that any second you’ll see lightning tearing across the sky, nipping at the clouds with its teeth. She gives him a light shove on the shoulder ( even though she has to stand on tiptoes to reach that high up ). “Quit worrying, or your hair really will turn grey.”

“You’ll leave if you can’t handle it.” Law’s tone brooks no argument.

Lami bites her lip. She knows that Law wants to protect her, but she knows he can’t. Not all the time. And not from this. “. . . Alright.” She says eventually, because that’s the response he’s expecting. “Let’s go.”

They’ve yet to step into the Auction House, but already, all around her, Lami feels a cacophony of _pain_ , of _fear_ , of _despair_ so intense that it feels like white hot pokers are jabbing into her eyes. She feels it tug at her, and she’s light and buoyant and she’s floating away, up up up.

There are _humans_ here. Being _chained_ and _shackled_ and _sold_ like animals to the highest bidder. How can people actually take part in this? How can they act as though they’re at a picnic or a party, with all these bright lights and this canned, obscene music? Lami tries to detach, but she can’t completely. She chokes back the urge to vomit, trying not to get lost inside her head.

Her brother’s looking at her, his gaze assessing, and Lami swallows against the fear. She struggles to control her emotions, knowing fear lies open on her face. _Breathe, breathe, breathe. I must be brave like my brother,_ she tells herself, and she tilts up her chin and walks through the doors.

The room is heavily paneled, the warm wood giving off a thick smell of polish. The close, cool atmosphere and the bright hum of conversation presses in upon her as she enters the chamber, which is packed with people. Obscenely, all of them flaunt their wealth – necks and fingers are dripping with precious gems, bodies are attired with the finest silks and furs that money can buy.

The screams get louder as Lami steps inside. She has to tell herself that it’s all in her head. Placing first one foot in front her, than the other. Her heels are muffled against the thick carpets. Lami hates the glances she receives as she walks in, subject to scrutiny and comment, evaluated behind powdered faces and painted lips. She sits, next to Law and wedged next to Bepo. Unbidden, tremors shake her limbs, and Law leans towards her in concern; she waves him off.

People sit shoulder to shoulder, crushed in together to see slaves, marveling at the programmes and the _products_ that will be on sale for the day. A hush falls over the crowd when the Celestial Dragons walk inside. They enter the room, dressed in pure blinding white robes, with glass bubbles encasing their faces, filing in to sit at a special booth.

_Breathe, breathe, breathe –_

Lami feels a malevolent presence behind her. Slightly, she turns her head, and catches a glimpse of flaming red hair, a fur coat, and garish spotted pants. Killer stands beside Eustass Kid, cutting a tall frame in polka dots, along with a motley group of men who must be the Kid Pirates.

“World Nobles . . . Slaves . . . Human shops . . . When the people in power act this cruel and greedy, common criminals like us look positively humane in comparison. It's because the world’s in the hands of scum like them that it's all screwed to hell . . . I mean, we’re not the nicest of guys, but at least we’re honest about it.”

His boorish appearance belies his thoughts. Maybe it’s not just her and Law who hate the World Government and all that they stand for with every fiber of their beings. Maybe others do too. Maybe the whole world is desperate to see things change.

_Maybe._

“Lami, you _really_ look like crap,” Penguin comments in a low whisper, unhelpfully, and never before has Lami felt like smacking him more.

She settles for glaring half-heartedly.

Her voice is barely a whispered croak. “Thanks, Pen. Incidentally, you look _fat_.”

There’s a muted pleasure from seeing Penguin pat himself down, desperately asking Shachi if what she says is true. Lami doesn’t catch Shachi’s reply, if any.

Behind her, Eustass remarks, “That’s the guy from North Blue, with the two-hundred million bounty. Trafalgar Law . . . I’ve heard rumors about him, and they weren’t pleasant.”

 _Right back at you, Captain Kid,_ Lami thinks. A patchy vision of a town, made into a warzone through one of the skirmishes with the Navy comes back to Lami from a newspaper report she’d read a few months ago. Furious, she considers telling them off. But she doesn’t, because she shouldn’t make enemies.

Law swivels his head and does it instead, flipping Kid off in one smooth motion with a smile.

Kid barks out a harsh laugh. “His manners aren’t the best, either.”

There are cheers and smiles as the announcer prances out onto the stage – Lami notes with revulsion the all-too familiar jolly roger that smiles at her from the stage – and begins the auction with a flourish.

This is the place where people can be sold, like onions or fish or a length of cloth.

 _These are human lives,_ Lami thinks, on something akin to despair. _No one deserves this kind of treatment._ A name floats into her mind, unbidden. His voice is in her head, their conversation together replaying on an endless loop. His stance against the World Government, the position of the Revolutionary Army and the herculean mission that they’ve undertaken – the need for _change_ made all the more obvious by the corrupt practices that the World Government turns a blind eye to.

She can feel her own impotence, made all the more strong in the face of human misery.

Lami’s next breath is almost a sob.

( The screams still echo in her mind. )


End file.
